Letter: Racism in the playground

Sir: On a recent visit to Preston Park, my friend Deepa and I rode up to the play area on our bikes. Since there were a lot of children between the ages ofseven and 15 in the park's play area, we decided to return when it was less crowded. Instead, we rode around the park on our bikes.

As Deepa passed the play area, one of the children called her a Paki. She rode quickly towards me and warned me. She looked worried, so I said: "Don't worry, they are probably mucking around."

The second time, she passed by another one of the children shouted to her: "Too scared to come in here!"

At this point, I got angry and rode towards them. Deepa caught up with me and told me not to do anything stupid. Although I calmed down, I was still asking myself questions: why do people make such stupid remarks?

I, and many other people, would like this changed. We can see from the past that racism has caused unhappiness, permanent injuries and even death. At school, I think it should be law to study racism, discuss the reasons behind it, and so help understand people's ignorance.

Yours faithfully,

SNEH SHAH

(12 years old)

Wembley, Middlesex

3 April